


The Slenderman

by DespicableMe1



Category: Slender Man Mythos
Genre: Death, Horror, Other, mythos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-03
Updated: 2015-03-10
Packaged: 2018-03-16 05:01:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 11,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3475406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DespicableMe1/pseuds/DespicableMe1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Megan and Leslie are just two normal friends enjoying their summer vacation. However, strange events begin occurring and suddenly their fun and relaxation turns into a never ending nightmare, their lives on the line. Will they make it out alive or will they be consumed by this new threat?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> For the record, yes, I realize this whole story is short and horribly written. It was the first full story I'd ever written so I was just beginning to really get the hang of writing full chapters with plot and decent characters. I wouldn't eve be uploading this BUT I have a sequel I'm working on that is better written and has a better developed plot. So please forgive my poor writing but if you want to understand what happens in the sequel when I upload it, then feel free to read. Maybe you guys won't find this quite as bad as I do. If you don't feel like reading this, just send me a message and I'll give you a summary.

It all began on a hot summer day. School had just ended and I was officially a senior. I got all A's on my exams and ended the year as top of the class. I was even higher on the grade scale than my super smart boyfriend, Nicholas. Even though I proved to be smarter than him, we ended the year on good terms, but I wouldn't get to see him again until school started back in August.  
I didn't expect much from summer vacation. I never do. I usual spend most of my summer catching up on sleep and chilling at home, occasionally hanging out with the few friends who remain in the small town of Cullman, Alabama. Not to mention the last few years had gradually been getting hotter, as if it wasn't already unbearable.  
I was lying on the couch watching Markiplier on YouTube when I got a text from Leslie. She'd been a close friend of mine since kindergarten. We hung out all the time as kids until her parents got divorced and she moved to Canton, Georgia with her mom. She visited her dad every other weekend but I rarely got to see her, so it was a pleasure to hear from her.  
"I'm in town. Want to hang?" she messaged.  
"Love to!" I replied. "What do you want to do?"  
"I don't know," she sent back. She was always very indecisive.  
"How about the park?" I suggested.  
"Sounds good. Around 10?" she asked.  
"Perfect. See you then!" I replied.  
I was so excited I could hardly pay attention to what I was watching (which is odd for me because I absolutely love Markiplier). I thought only of what all we would do tomorrow. It'd been so long since we'd spoken. There was so much to catch up on. Where to start? Tomorrow would be a good day.


	2. Chapter 1

I woke up early that Monday morning, wide-eyed and ready to go. We met up in the parking lot at Sportsman's Lake, Cullman's most popular park. We hugged and began walking around some. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the flowers were in full bloom, and all of the people seemed happy.  
"So how have you been?" I asked.  
"I've been good. I'm so glad it's summer," she said exuberantly.   
"Amen to that!" I agreed. "I swear I think I bombed those exams."  
"Oh please, you bombing a test? You're, like, the smartest person I know."  
"Thank you, but my dear, you highly overestimate my intelligence," I laughed.  
"Perhaps," she grinned.  
I pulled out my camera and turned it on.   
"A picture to commemorate our freedom!" I shouted.  
"No! Don't take my picture!" she squealed, running away. I chased her all across the park, likely irritating a few people in the process. I took a lot of pictures that day. She finally stopped running and allowed me to get some good pictures, most of which were very goofy. Over all we had a great day. We enjoyed the beautiful weather, each other's company, and the chance to catch up.  
"So how long are you going to be here?" I asked  
"I'm here all week!" she said cheerfully.  
"Great! Maybe we can have the chance to hang out again before you leave," I mused.  
"How about tonight?" she suggested.  
"Sounds great," I agreed. "I'll bring my laptop too and I can transfer all the pictures."  
"Awesome," she said. "See you tonight!"  
We parted ways and I headed home to pack and prepare for a fun night.


	3. Chapter 2

I hurried home and began packing immediately. I grabbed everything I could think of: a few changes of clothes, shower supplies, iPod, cellphone, camera, and laptop. I said good bye to my parents and my dog, Winston, and I left.   
I drove to Leslie's house in about twenty minutes. It wouldn't have taken that long if it wasn't for the fact that I hadn't driven myself there before. She lived out in the middle of nowhere so it was hard to find my way when practically everything looked the same.  
I parked on the edge of the driveway and knocked on the front door. I admired the yard while I waited. The front yard was large with little shrubbery in contrast with the backyard which opened up to a huge forest. It was quiet where they lived, far away from the rest of the world.  
Leslie's dad answered the door.   
"Hi Mr. Jeff!" I greeted him, nearly getting tackled by their German shepherd, Charlie, in the process.  
"Hi Megan. It's nice to see you. Come on in. Leslie is upstairs in her room," he said.  
I walked upstairs and let myself into Leslie's room. She was sitting on the bed drawing. She was a great artist, especially in comparison to me. I could hardly draw a straight line.  
"Leslie!" I shouted, startling her in the process. I'm known for being able to sneak up on people.  
"Hey, Megan!" she replied. "Manage to find your way all right?" she asked.  
"Yeah I got here without too much trouble. Only got turned around once. I think I could make it here again without too much trouble." I replied.  
"That's good," she said. "It would be awfully scary getting lost around here."  
"Yeah, no kidding," I agreed. "Especially if you got lost at night."  
She shivered at the thought. We were both silent for a moment.  
"Anyway, what do you want to do tonight?" I asked, attempting to change the subject.  
"I don't know. Want to watch a horror movie?" she suggested.  
"Works for me," I replied. "Is there a plug down there I can hook my laptop up to?" I asked.  
"Yeah, there's one right by the couch," she said.  
"Great, if the movie's cheesy I'll have something to do," I smirked.  
"Yeah, sure," she laughed. "I'll make sure to find a movie that's extra scary just for you."  
We went downstairs and set everything up. Leslie made some popcorn and set up the movie "Jeepers Creepers", and I plugged my laptop up and hooked up my camera. We settled down and prepared for a night of fun and relaxation. I started out watching the movie, but I had already seen it before so I soon got bored and started uploading pictures.  
My computer was notorious for being slow so it took longer than it should have to get all of them organized. The movie was halfway over before I got the last picture in its proper place. Leslie was so exhausted that she fell asleep. I didn't want to be in the dark, especially with it being so quiet here, so I let the movie continue playing.  
I started to look through all of the pictures. I was going to go through and select all of the decent ones and email them to Leslie. There was something off about the pictures, but I couldn't tell what it was. I looked a bit closer at one of the pictures I took of Leslie and me, and I noticed there was some strange, blurry figure in the background. I looked at a few others and saw that the figure was in all of them. I quickly became nervous. I selected the first picture again and zoomed in on the figure. I yelped in terror, dropping my laptop to the floor and startling Leslie in the process.  
"What is it?" she yelled.  
I picked up the laptop and showed her the picture. The figure which seemed to be male, had on a black suit and a red tie. He was very tall and very thin. His skin was pale as snow. His long, bony fingers stretched into menacing claws. But the scariest part of all was that he had no face.  
At first, Leslie sat there, dumbfounded. Then she began to laugh. I creased my brow in confusion.  
"What are you laughing at?" I questioned.  
"You!" she cackled. "You really expect me to believe that's real? I commend your effort, I really do, but come on! That's obviously photo shopped."  
"Leslie, this isn't a prank," I pleaded. "This is real. I didn't edit the photos."  
I showed her all of the others.  
"I couldn't possibly have had enough time to do all of these, you see. And you know I'm not artistic or techie. This is real."  
She frowned when she heard the seriousness and fear in my voice.  
"But how is it possible?" she asked. "There's no such thing as faceless men who appear in random photos."  
"Yet, here his is," I whispered.  
"M-maybe it was just your camera malfunctioning," she stuttered. " I bet mine wouldn't do that," she said.  
"Well, why don't we give it a try?" I suggested. "Take some pictures of ourselves and see if it happens again. If he doesn't show up you can call me out on it."  
"OK," she agreed. "Let's do it."


	4. Chapter 3

She ran upstairs and grabbed her camera.  
"Let's go outside to do this," she said. "I don't want to wake my dad up."  
"It's a wonder we haven't woken him up already," I commented.  
"Haha, yeah," she laughed nervously.  
We stepped out the glass door that led to the backyard, taking Charlie with us. The sky was overcast and the forest looked particularly sinister. We both felt very uneasy. We didn't know what to expect, but I knew we both hoped the same thing.  
She began to take pictures. We were both really tense at first, but as time went on, we both loosened up a bit and forgot why we were out there in the first place. We did funny poses and laughed till our stomachs hurt. It was almost as much fun as earlier that day.  
Charlie started to growl softly. We both ignored him at first, assuming it was just a squirl or a cat or something of the sort. His growling grew louder and louder. Suddenly he leapt up and began snarling and barking. He was facing the forest directly in front of us.  
I took Leslie's camera and aimed it where Charlie was barking. As soon as I took the picture, the camera became hot as fire. I yelped in pain as it burnt the flesh on my hands and dropped it to the ground. Charlie was still barking, and Leslie and I stood close together, terrified.  
Then, Leslie's dad came bursting through the door. Charlie stopped barking immediately.  
"What the hell are the both of you doing to that dog to make him bark like that?" he shouted.  
"We didn't do anything," Leslie said defensively.  
"Honestly, we didn't," I agreed. "He just started barking like that."  
"You expect me to believe this dog started making such a fuss for no good reason?" he inquired.  
"Nothing due to us," Leslie muttered.  
He stood there, unconvinced, for a few moments. Then he said, "Just come back inside, all right? You shouldn't be out here so late anyway."  
He turned and walked back in. I bent down and gingerly picked up the camera, wincing in pain as I did so. The metal was as cold as stone now. With slim hope I opened the portion that contained the memory card and took it out. I smiled with glee to discover it was still in tact.   
"Grab my laptop and bring it upstairs," I told Leslie.  
"Why?" she asked. "The camera is ruined."  
"But the memory card isn't," I said. "We can still see the pictures!"  
We ran upstairs to Leslie's room, laptop and memory card clutched tight in our hands, and immediately plugged everything in. I downloaded the pictures and went straight to gallery. I groaned in despair and Leslie shrieked. The man was in all of the pictures, even closer than he'd been before.  
"I can't look at these," Leslie moaned.  
I clicked on the last picture that had been taken and gasped in horror at what I saw. It was a closeup of the man. The background was grainy, like a TV with poor reception, but through the blurriness I could see the forest ablaze with small children hanging dead from all but two of the trees. I knew as soon as I saw it what this image meant. Leslie and I were next.  
Leslie saw my face grow pale. She hesitantly peeked over my shoulder and instantly regretted it.  
"What is that?!" she shrieked.  
"It's our fate'" I whispered dully. "This is what will happen to us if we can't find a way to stop him."  
"Well there's got to be something we can do!" she shouted.  
"Well, do you have any suggestions?" I asked sarcastically. "Because if so then please, share."  
She glared at me for a moment then stared back blankly, response-less.  
Suddenly, the lights went out. Our time for planning was up.


	5. Chapter 4

"Megan, I'm scared," Leslie whimpered.  
"It's going to be OK," I said with a false sense of bravery. I was just as afraid as she was. "We'll both go downstairs. Go in your dad's room and stay there. I'll grab a couple of flashlights, make sure the place is secure, and then, I'll join you. OK?"   
She nodded wearily. "OK," she agreed.  
We both crept slowly downstairs. I knew this was a suicide mission. I knew I probably would be killed or worse. But I wasn't about to let my friend die.  
She holed herself up in the bedroom, and I went to the kitchen to find some flashlights. It was difficult to see, to say the least, considering it was so dark. I finally managed to find two flashlights. Then, I heard Leslie scream. I bolted to the bedroom and crashed through the door.  
"What happened?" I yelled.  
"My dad!" she shrieked. "He's gone!"   
I looked all through the bedroom. She was right. He was no where to be found.  
"Maybe he just went to check the breaker," I suggested.  
She shook her head furiously. "No, no, he's gone! I just know he is! He's gone! He's gone!" she howled madly.  
"Get a hold of yourself!" I yelled. "You've got to if you want to stand any chance of getting out of this."   
She nodded numbly. "You're right."  
I shut the door and locked it. Then, I heard a low moan coming from behind me. I reopened the door and saw Leslie slumped against the bed.  
"Leslie, what's wrong?!" I asked, panicked.   
"I don't feel good," she groaned. "I'm all dizzy. My stomach hurts and my head feels light."  
I helped her to the ground. "It'll be all right," I told her. "Just hang in there."  
I went back outside and began to lock all the doors and windows. There was no way I was letting that thing get in here. I was making this place a fortress, hopeless as it may have been. I didn't know what I was up against. I'd never heard of anything like this happening before. I was just doing what I hoped was right.  
I finished making my rounds about the house and returned to the room to check on Leslie. I stepped inside and looked all around, but she wasn't there. Then, I heard the floor above me creaking. Someone, or something, was moving around upstairs. I crept up the stairs as quietly as I could. I feared what I might find. I heard a gurgling sound coming from Leslie's room, and I saw that the door was slightly ajar. Even so, I couldn't see anything in the room.  
"Leslie," I called out quietly, "is that you?"  
There was no response, aside from a continuation of the sound. I crept closer to the door. I reached my arm out to lightly push the door open. Before my hand touched the door, the sound stopped. I froze in fear. I forced my arm closer and nudged the door open. My eyes widened in terror; anguish balled up in my gut. Leslie was lying unconscious on the floor. The man was standing over her.  
"Get away from her!" I yelled at the man, taking a step closer.   
The moment I did, my light went out. Panicked, I started banging the flashlight against my palm, cursing with every second it stayed unlit. Finally, after what seemed like forever, it came back on. I shined it around the room. They were gone.  
"Shit," I moaned to myself.  
I bolted downstairs and grabbed a knife from a kitchen drawer. I knew where they had gone, and I knew where I had to venture if I had any hope of saving my friend. They had left for the woods. Now, I was coming after them. I feared what I would find, but what choice did I have? It was either go after my friend and her captor, or save myself and leave her to die. I refused to choose the latter. So, I left into the woods to die.


	6. Chapter 5

I stepped into the darkness and began my journey to imminent peril. My sole source of light was my flashlight, and I didn't even know how much battery life I had left. Regardless, I would search the entire forest if I had to. I was determined to find my friend. I walked for what seemed like hours. Have I been here before? Have I been walking in circles? I no longer knew at this point. Everything looked familiar. I was completely lost.  
Just as despair began to sink in, I noticed something pinned to a nearby tree. I walked over and saw that it was a note. I tore it from the trunk. It read, "ALWAYS WATCHES. NO EYES." What did this mean? Was it a note from Leslie, or was it leading me to something more sinister? I only had one way to find out.   
I continued walking for a while and came across a large pipe, one like you might find in old sewers. What was this doing in the middle of the woods? I slowly made my way into it. I didn't see anything in there, anything life threatening. It was just a huge, random pipe. I got towards the middle and noticed another note taped to the side. I tore this one down as well. The word "no" was written all over the page. But why?  
I left the pipe and made my way deeper through the woods. I came across other strange things. On most of them there was a note taped to them. I even came across an abandoned pool house. Why were these landmarks here? What purpose did they serve? And why was I finding all of these notes?  
The more notes I found, the worse I began to feel. With the first two, it started off as a light headache. I dismissed it as exhaustion and fear. Then with the next two, I started feeling worse. My stomach began to churn, and my eyes couldn't focus. It didn't help that my flashlight began to dim. I found two more, and my light headache turned into a migraine. My eyes teared up and I could barely breathe. The only thing that kept me moving was my desperate need to find Leslie. I found a seventh one and nearly collapsed from dizziness. I forced myself forward. I found the eighth and final one on some oil tankers. I howled in pain and collapsed to the ground. I couldn't keep moving. I was exhausted. My head felt as if it was splitting open. I couldn't breathe right. I was hardly conscious.   
I pulled myself up with a low hanging tree limb. I had to keep moving. I couldn't desert Leslie. I wouldn't leave her for dead. I tried to get to my feet, but I fell to my knees, dizzier than before. My eyes tried to droop shut. It took all my effort not to fall unconscious. I collapsed on the ground, nowhere to go and no energy to defend myself or my friend.  
Vision blurred, I looked up from the ground and groaned at what I saw. The man was standing a few feet away. With every blink he came closer and closer. Soon, he was inches from my face.  
"Why...?" I forced through my lips. No response. "Please... don't...," I begged.  
Then, blackout.


	7. Chapter 6

I woke up on the forest floor, the sun just barely peaking over the horizon. I wasn't as dizzy or exhausted as the night before, but I still had a splitting headache. I looked around. The man was nowhere to be seen. Why was I still alive?  
I got to my feet and dusted myself off. It would take a long time to get back to Leslie's house. Leslie. What happened to her? Was she dead? Was she alive yet lost like me? I didn't know. I was afraid to find out.  
After a few hours of wandering around aimlessly, I finally managed to locate the house. I stumbled into the yard, seeking the comfort of a warm bed. What I saw on the porch mad me nearly faint all over again. Leslie was lying in a chair, asleep. She seemed perfectly fine, no harm done to her at all. I ran up to the porch and practically tackled her.  
"Leslie, you're all right!" I shouted joyously.   
She yelped in surprise and gave me a disgruntled glare.   
"Of course I'm all right," she snipped. "Why shouldn't I be?"  
I creased my brow.  
"Don't you remember anything that happened last night? Don't you remember the pictures or the faceless man or your dad going missing or the wood - ?"  
"What do you mean my dad going missing? He's fine just like me. I think you're the one with the problems, Megan."  
"No! What I'm telling you happened!" Then I had an idea. "Come upstairs with me. I know how to make you remember."  
Begrudgingly, she followed me upstairs to her bedroom. I went straight to my laptop. Thankfully, the memory card was still there, untouched. I knew if anything would make her remember, it would be the pictures.  
"Why are your hands burnt?" she asked as I typed.  
"It happened last night when your camera got destroyed."   
"My camera got destroyed?! What do you mean?! It was brand new!!!"  
I found the images and turned the laptop toward her. "Maybe these will freshen your memory," I said.  
As she flipped through the pictures from the day before, I saw her face grow pale. She slumped down on the bed and put her face in her hands.  
"Oh... My ... God. I remember now. I remember everything. But how? How did that happen? And why are we still alive? What's going on?! What's going to happen to us?!" she screamed, voice rising an octave with every word she spoke.  
"I don't know," I whispered as calmly as I could, "but whatever we do, we need to figure it out and fast. If last night happened after one day, there's no telling what could happen over the next week."   
"So how are we going to know what we're supposed to do? We don't even know what this thing is!"  
"I'm not sure, but I'll go home and try to find as much information as I can. Threatening or not, I won't let this go without a fight. I'll tell you whatever I find, if I find anything. I certainly hope I can."  
"I hope you do too," she whimpered.  
We sat in silence until my parents called a few hours later, telling me to get home. I was going to start doing some research on our enemy, but I was too exhausted and decided to go to bed instead. My dreams were full of nightmares of faceless people and pages taped to random buildings. I may have slept, but it was not a peaceful sleep. I finally hauled myself out of bed around midnight. It was time to find some information.


	8. Chapter 7

Not knowing what to search for, I started out searching only for faceless men. That didn't get me very far. I ended up getting linked to more porn sites than anything else. As the night went on, my searches got more and more elaborate. At one point, I even searched, "legends on faceless man-creatures that appear in images and hypnotize people." Finally, at three in the morning, I found what I was looking for. I came across a website titled "The Slender Man". What I read sent me into a deeper despair than I was already in. 

The website said this: The Slender Man is an ancient creature. His presence was first recorded in what is now present day Germany in 4 a.d., though it's believed that this was not his first appearance. He has been noticed all over the world.  
The Slender Man is a tall figure, usually 8 ft tall or more. He is described on many occasions to have six tentacles on his back. He is very pale and has no facial features. He is always seen wearing a black suit and either a black or red tie. He has the abilities to teleport and turn invisible, and his presence is known to interfere with electronics, these including cameras, televisions, radios, and numerous others.  
The Slender Man is a dangerous creature. When seen by a person, that person goes missing with a few days after experiencing traumatic, confusing events. These events are known as Slender sickness and they begin almost immediately. It's said that these events increase at night and during sightings. It starts as headaches and nausea. As time passes, it escalates to hallucinations and self-isolation from society. The victim begins to create notes referring to the Slender Man and blanks out at points throughout the days, waking up in strange places.  
After a span of one week to a month, the victim will disappear. In the first ten centuries, the Slender Man was an aggressive killer. After the victim disappeared for a few days, they would be found hanging on a burnt tree, internal organs having been removed, bagged, and placed back in their proper position with the bag. Around the eleventh century, he became more passive. The victims stopped appearing and just went missing, never too be seen again. If things get too messy when he attacks, the Slender Man will obliterate the evidence, burning homes, schools, and numerous other locations to destroy any evidence of his presence.  
There is no particular age range that the Slender Man tends to focus on. If he hunts children, he appears as friendly before killing them. It is unknown if anyone who has seen the Slender Man has survived. The only theory is to stay inside, around people as often during the day as possible. Information on survival beyond that is unknown.

I stared blankly at the screen for a long time. I didn't know what to think at this point. What were Leslie and I supposed to do? How were we supposed to beat an unbeatable enemy? This website basically said we were dead no matter what. And I didn't imagine many people gave up any more easily than I was willing to. So, what was I to tell Leslie? Was I supposed to tell her that there was nothing we could do, that it was only a matter of time before the Slender Man killed us? Surely there was another way. Surely there was some way to beat him. But how?  
I began to do more searches on the Slender Man. I was able to search more in depth now that I knew what to call him. I found a lot if websites and videos. I even found a few homemade movies. But none of these told me any more than I already knew. Did everyone give in to this sickness, this creature? Surely there was another way.   
I decided to meet up with Leslie again. We had to figure out something to do, and the website did say that victims seemed to survive longer if they managed to stay with other people. I woke my parents up to ask if she could stay over for the rest of the week. They weren't very happy that I woke them up or that I was asking if she could stay so long, but since we weren't doing much else that week, they begrudgingly agreed. After I got approval, I told Leslie to come over immediately and I'd explain everything.


	9. Chapter 8

I called her around 7 A.M. It was a beautiful morning. The weather was perfect, a lovely 70° with a slight breeze. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. She agreed to meet me for lunch at Taco Bell. (I met with all of my friends at Taco Bell.) I arrived there at noon and waited. I waited for over an hour before she finally showed up.  
"It's about time you showed up. Where have you been?" I asked. Then I took a closer look at her. Her face was pale and her eyes were bloodshot, as if she'd recently been crying. She had developed a gray streak in her hair from stress, and she was shaking slightly. "Leslie, what's wrong?" I implored, taking hold of her shaking hands. She was cold, like ice.  
"I saw him again. I SAW him! He was standing over me while I was sleeping. I woke up with him staring at me. I thought I was dead, but he disappeared when I blinked. I've felt sick ever since I saw him. I've been so dizzy and nauseas and my head hurts like hell. Not to mention I can't stop shaking. What are we going to do, Megan? Please, tell me you found something," she begged.  
I cleared my throat and stated, "I did manage to find some information. This creature is referred to commonly as the Slender Man. He's very dangerous and very sly, torturing his victims by showing his presence and causing unrest and insanity before eventually killing them. He has the abilities to teleport and turn invisible, and his presence interferes with electronic equipment, making it easy to locate his presence."  
"Ok," she said. "Now how do we defeat him?"  
"Well,..." I hesitated.  
"Oh please, PLEASE, tell me there's a way to get rid of him. Don't tell me we're doomed!"  
"I'm sorry, Leslie," I sighed. "There's just not a set way that's it's done. There is one theory that states you can prolong your death by staying around people and shutting yourself indoors at night, being careful to stay sane, but I don't think anyone has ever defeated the Slender Man. He's too powerful and too elusive to simple, human methods. He exists outside of our dimension, and there's no way to get at him. All I know to do is stick together and pray for a quick end."  
"But I don't want to die!" she howled, bursting into tears.  
"Keep your voice down, would you?" I hissed. "I know you don't want to die. Do you really think that I do? But what do you want me to do about it? I don't know any more about what we're up against than anyone else who has faced it. All we can do is fight back as best as we can and hope for the best."  
"Ok," she sniffles. "So, what do we do?"  
"We stick together. Never leave my sight, and I'll never leave yours. I've already cleared your stay with my parents, so I'll drive you back to your home so you can pack your things. We'll fight this til the end, whatever it takes," I declared.  
Her eyebrows crumpled in worried thought. "But I'm only here for a few more days. I'm leaving Saturday," she stated. "What are we going to do after that?"  
"I don't know Leslie," I sighed in defeat. "I don't know."


	10. Chapter 9

I drove her to her home in silence. She was slow packing her things. These might be her final days. This might be the last time she ever sees her house, her family. But it's a risk she had to take and she knew that. She told her father goodbye, hugging him for a more prolonged period of time than usual. I piled her things into the backseat, and I drive us back to my house.  
As soon as we walked through the door, Leslie slumped over to the couch, crashing face first onto the cushions in a more somber mood than I'd ever seen her. I plopped down in a chair adjacent to her, sighing deeply as I did. Neither one of us moved or said anything for a long time. My parents came and went, giving us slightly concerned looks as they did so. My dog, Winston, jumped into my seat and laid his head on my lap. He whined a bit and nudged my leg with his nose but fell away after a short time. Leslie and I were too depressing, even for him.  
After about an hour of this, my mom finally walked in saying, "You two have been moping around long enough. Either get up and go do something, or take Leslie home. I'll have no more of this depressing mood from you both. Watch a movie, go outside, play a board game. I don't care what you do. Just do something!"  
Leslie sat up and stretched. We both looked at each other with questioning eyes and telepathically agreed to go to my room. I picked up my laptop on the way there so we wouldn't be utterly bored for the rest of the day. I pulled up YouTube on Google Chrome and selected Markiplier's channel. No matter how bad a mood I'm in, his videos and personality had always been able to cheer me up. Even with Leslie and my impending doom, his videos couldn't help but make us laugh. Between his comical screaming and his witty and sarcastic banter, I knew few people who disliked him.  
Once we watched our fill of comedy, Leslie and I decided we should make the most of our time. True, it was likely we wouldn't survive past the week, if that long, but that didn't mean we couldn't embrace our friendship and have a bit of fun. It was late at night, but since it was during the summer, my parents were more lenient about what I did and when I did it. Leslie and I decided to do a late night coffee run. We sat and talked about random things for hours. She even read a scary story I'd been working on, as well as a few poems. We laughed and enjoyed ourselves and returned back home around midnight, happier than we'd been the whole time we'd been together.  
On the way back, the wind began to pick up a good deal. By the time we reached the house, we were practically being pushed over from the strength of the wind. The limbs of the trees in the yard had a sinister appearance due to moving around so much. The branches seemed to stretch out like claws of a monster out for blood. I could tell we were in for trouble.   
"Get inside, quick!" I yelled at Leslie. She stood there, unmoving. I walked up to her, shaking her slightly. "Didn't you hear me?" I asked. "We need to move, now!"  
She looked at me, cocking her head to the side. Then, she smiled. This wasn't Leslie. It was him. The Slender Man had taken over. She shoved me off of her and began walking down the street toward the woods at the end of the subdivision.  
"Leslie, no!" I screamed, jumping up and sprinting after her. I wouldn't let her walk away so easily. She turned and saw me coming after her and began sprinting away. Luckily, I was faster. I tackled her to the ground. She tried to fight me off, putting up a struggle. She bit and clawed and pulled as much as she could, but I was stronger and more determined. I drug the screaming Leslie back to my house, throwing her to the living room floor and shutting the door behind me. As I closed the door, I glanced out and saw the Slender Man standing there, watching me. He didn't have to have a face for me to know he was angry.  
I shut the door and went over to my friend. She was lying on the ground, completely motionless. I bent down beside her.  
"Leslie?" I called out softly to her. No response. I shook her softly. "Leslie," I said more firmly. Still nothing. I grabbed both her shoulders and shook her vigorously. "Leslie, wake up!" I shouted. She jumped, looking around in terror. Not realizing at first where she was or who I was, her fist came up and nailed me in the jaw. I fell away, clutching at my face.  
"What the hell!" I howled, laying flat on my back.  
"M-Megan?" Leslie stuttered groggily.  
"What?!" I shouted in pain, frustrated by the turn of events.  
"Wait, what are you doing on the floor," she asked, confused.   
"You just punched me, that's what," I hissed.  
"I did?" she said. "I don't remember punching you."  
"Oh, you did more than that," I growled. "You bit, and struggled, and almost got the both of us killed."  
"You mean it happened again?" she whimpered.  
"Yeah, that is what I mean," I stated. "Now could you do me a favor and get some ice?"  
She got up and hurried to the kitchen. I heard the freezer door open and various items clanking around. She returned with an ice pack in hand and a slightly flustered and apologetic look on her face.  
"Here you go," she said, handing me the ice pack. "And sorry I punched you in the face. I promise it wasn't on purpose."  
"Right," I grunted, gingerly placing the ice pack on my jaw. I got up and moved over to the couch, motioning for her to sit beside me. "Obviously, simply sticking together is not going to be good enough," I started. "It seems that the Slender Man is affecting you much more than he is affecting me. I should have realized that the first time we were attacked. He has a much tighter grip on your psyche. That means the only way we'll survive is either you'll have to get a tighter grip on your mind, or I'll have to keep both of us sane. Personally, I'd rather not have to do the latter. The question is, how?"  
"I don't know. I felt fine when we got here, but when I got out of the car, I blacked out. I honestly don't remember anything. I wasn't feeling weird or sick before it happened. It's like I was just gone," she said, concern filling her eyes.  
"Obviously," I stated, "this is going to be much harder than we previously thought. We're going to have to find a way to keep you in control of yourself. That, or I'm going to have to find a way to keep you restrained and in sight at all times. What we'll do if I start to lose it, I don't know."  
"How do you plan to keep me under control?" she asked, brow creasing.  
"I'm not entirely sure," I said thoughtfully. "I can't control you in the matter of your mental body, but I might be able to keep your presence from leaving mine easily."  
"What exactly do you have in mind?" she wondered hesitantly.  
"I'll have to stay up through the night to keep an eye on you. I'll barricade the window to make sure you don't try to jump out. I'll sleep outside the door to make sure you don't leave that way. I have a bracelet with little bells on it so if you move around, I'll hear it. Just to be sure, I'll tie a string to the both of us, one side on your hand and one side on mine, and I'll make sure it's a certain length so if you do manage to get past me or through the window, I'll be able to feel it," I said.  
"It sounds like a good plan," she agreed, "but do you really think it'll work?"  
"Only one way to find out," I stated.  
"But what about you," she asked, concerned. "How are you going to fair if you don't get any sleep at night? It won't do either of us any good if you're over exhausted."   
"We'll just have to figure that out when it happens," I said. "For now, this is the only plan we've got."


	11. Chapter 10

We took our time getting ready for bed. We stood in the bathroom brushing our teeth and took turns using the bathroom. To be absolutely sure nothing happened to either of us in the short time period, we stayed in the bathroom together while the other person used the facilities. One of us would use the bathroom while the other stood by the door, back turned to the person relieving herself.  
After we finished getting ready, we sat on my bed for a while, neither of us really wanting to sleep. We feared the night and the fate it would hold for us. Around one in the morning, I said good night to her and settled outside the door while she curled under the sheets in my bed. I knew it probably wouldn't help, but i grabbed my knife out of my purse. It made me feel safer. Neither one of us slept that night. Luckily, the next few hours went undisturbed. We saw nothing more of the Slender Man that night.   
My parents got up around seven that morning. They came out of their room shortly after. I could hear them in the kitchen starting breakfast. It wasn't long before I smelled bacon and pancakes cooking.  
My bedroom door opened and Leslie stepped out.  
"Hi," she said dully.  
"Hi," I replied, equally as plain. "Did you sleep well?" I inquired.  
"Yeah, fine," she lied. "Did you?"  
"I'm not sleeping at night, remember? I've got to keep an eye on you," I said.  
"Oh, right," she remembered guiltily. "I assume you'll want to find time to rest later today, then"  
"Nah, I'll be fine," I said with a false sound of chipperness. "Let's go get some breakfast."  
"Yeah," she agreed, helping me up off the floor.  
We walked into the kitchen, mouths watering with hunger. The bacon smelled delicious. My mom always new how to cook it perfectly. My dad was the pancake master. The outside had a slight crunch while the inside was soft and fluffy. All of the food was delicious. I made coffee for all of us (except my dad since he hates coffee), and Leslie and I sat down on the couch together to plan out our day. We only had three more days till she was to leave, but we didn't want to think about that.  
Things went much like the day before. It was a lot hotter outside and there wasn't much of a breeze so we decided to go see a movie. There wasn't much on, but we didn't want to go outside in the heat and we didn't want to be stuck in my house either. We got out around two o'clock and went to Yogurt Mountain, coffee not sounding appealing with all the heat. We sat and talked for an hour before we gave up on staying cool and decided to go to the park. Despite the fact that it was 98° and no breeze, it didn't feel so bad in the shade. We went hiking along the bike trail (since no one actually biked it) and spent a long time down by the stream. It was quiet, peaceful, and we were alone. That's when she brought it up.  
"Megan, I'm leaving Saturday," she said.  
"Yes, you are," I replied simply.  
"That's only three more days from now," she expanded.  
"So it is," I said.  
"We still haven't beat the Slender Man, and we won't be able to defend each other after I leave," she urged on.  
"I am well aware of this," I said, slightly irritated. I wasn't fond of discussing this matter. I already knew how this would likely end and wanted to spend my final days thinking and discussing other matters. I wanted to enjoy myself.  
"What are we going to do after Saturday? How are we going to survive? I certainly won't survive without you watching over me, and it won't be long before he tries to finish you off," she whimpered.  
I lost it then. "You think I don't know this?! You think I don't realize how bad of a situation we're in?! You think I don't realize that every second we're inching closer and closer to our death; that we have no clue, no method how to stop him?!"  
She looked at me in terror, tears streaming down her face. I didn't realize how poorly I had reacted. I had grabbed her by her shirt collar, thrown her up against a tree, and pulled my knife on her. I didn't even know I had it with me. I dropped the knife to the ground and released her shirt. I backed away a few yards and slumped against a tree, falling to the ground.   
"What do you want me to do, Leslie? I wish I could tell you what to do; I wish I could give you some grand, foolproof plan, but the point of the matter is I don't have one. I don't know what to do. I'm out of plans. I'm out of options. And damn it, as much as we wish there was another way, we're both out of time. We have nothing left to do but wait. I'm sorry but I don't have anything else to say about this. I've tried to fight this, but he's won. He's got me beat. No matter what we do, he's got us in his grasp. That damn faceless man has run me dry of ideas. I'm sorry. If I knew of something to do, I'd gladly do it. But I don't," I cried softly. I placed my head in my hands out of despair.  
She bent down and picked up my knife, pocketing it. Then she slowly walked over and sat down beside me. We didn't say anything for a few moments. We sat and watched the water continue to flow by.  
"I know you're stressed," she said. "All you've been doing lately is trying to figure this out. You've been working so hard to keep me safe, and I thank you for that. I know you feel like all the hope has gone from the world and there's nothing left for us but death. But that doesn't mean this whole situation has to be terrible. We can make the best of this, enjoy the time we have left. I suppose that's easier to do when I don't bring it up. Sorry about that. I'm just as confused as you are and it's hard not to bring it up when you're the only other person who knows what's going on. Let's just stop worrying about it. Whatever fate has in store is going to happen. There's no getting around it. I'm not saying give in, but perhaps we shouldn't try so hard to avoid it."  
"I can't just give in," I stated." I can't just stop living. I operate by the belief that we all have a purpose in this life. I don't want my purpose to be death through murder. Do you?"  
"No, but I don't exactly have a plan. And neither do you," she reminded me.  
"You're right, I don't have a plan," I agreed. "But I don't need to have a plan to know that I'm not going to give in. I'm going to fight this thing till the last breath I take."  
She placed her arm around my shoulders and hugged me close, a small smile forced onto her face.  
"I know you will," she whispered into my ear. " I would expect nothing less from you. You're the most loving, stubborn, reliable person I know. If anyone can find a way out of this, it's you."  
I turned around and hugged her close.  
"Thanks Leslie. I needed to hear that," I said.  
"No problem, girlie," she grinned.  
"What do you say we head back to my place?" I suggested.   
"Sounds like a plan," she concurred.  
Shouting with half false half real glee, "Let's have the best next three days ever!"


	12. Chapter 11

Neither one of us realized how short-lived our joy would be. We returned to my home with the intention of chilling online for the majority of what was left of the day. I went to my room to retrieve my laptop and got online. Out of habit, I went to Facebook to see what was new. I found a lot of missed messages from Nicholas. I hadn't been online since Leslie had been here, and he was starting to get concerned. I was typically quiet punctual in responding to him.  
Up until then, I hadn't considered how my impending death would effect him and the others around me. How would he react once I'm gone? He was already freaking out after a few days. It would soon be the rest of his life. I couldn't possibly tell him what was happening. Even if I said what was going on, he'd never believe me. He already thought I was irrational, that I had a tendency to overreact. This would just start a fight.  
Then again, maybe I should start a fight. Maybe I should go ahead and end things between us. Keep him from getting hurt. It'd be easier on him; he'd feel less pain when he learned I was gone. It made me sad to know I'd never see him again.  
Leslie saw my eyes begin to water and my mood plummet.  
"Whats wrong?" she asked, concern in her voice.  
"Nicholas sent me some messages," I said, voice cracking.  
"Don't tell me he's trying to pick a fight again. He needs to stop being so selfish and actually think about the person who actually cares about him. I swear, he treats you like dirt sometimes," she growled.  
"Well for the record, I've done my fair share of bitching," I chuckled, smiling through my tears. "No, he was getting worried since I haven't said anything in a few days. It's got me thinking about once we're gone. I won't see him again. I'll never hear his voice again. It's all over, and I don't even have a say about it."  
"Oh, honey, I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do for you. I would stop this if I could," she said, pity filling her voice.  
I wiped my tears and pulled myself up straight. I hated for people to pity me. I never wanted people to feel sorry for me.  
"Yeah, well, he can do better anyway. Besides, maybe I can find some hottie in the afterlife," I smirked, nudging her ribs.  
"Yeah, maybe," she laughed, " but dibs on the emo one!"  
"Deal!" I giggled.  
I decided to make some popcorn and we spent the next few hours having a Lord of the Rings marathon. It's true that those movies are ridiculously long, but we were both total geeks at heart. It wasn't till 12:30 the next morning when we finally finished.  
I removed the disk from the DVD player and turned off the television. Leslie stretched and yawned. Leslie curled up on the couch and pulled a blanket over her.  
"Leslie, we need to get ready for bed," I said.  
"But I don't want to," she moaned sleepily. "I'm too tired to get up."  
"You have to get up," I told her. "I have to keep an eye on you, remember?"  
"Come on Megan. Can't we just give in? What's the point in fighting?" she whined.  
"The point is to last as long as we can," I asserted firmly. "I don't know about your mindset, but I have no intention to let him win so easily. If the Slender Man wants my life and soul, he's going to have to fight me for it."  
"Well, I'm just going to stay here," she yawned. "He can just have me. I don't care anymore."  
My fists clenched and my face contorted in rage. I stalked over to her and drug her from the couch.  
"Well, I care," I growled in irritation,"and if I have anything to say about it,you're going to bed. End of story. Now, come on!"  
"Why should I listen to you?" Leslie shouted. "You pulled a knife on me earlier. Why should I believe you have any more sense than I do?"  
"Well, I certainly have enough sense to know that you shouldn't stay out here by yourself!" I argued.  
"Then stay out here with me. You don't have to leave me alone in here. We can stay out here together," she proposed.  
"But I won't be able to protect you as well," I said.  
"You can protect me out here just as well as you can protect me in there," she argued stubbornly.  
I sighed and hung my head in defeat.   
"All right," I caved. "I'll stay out here with you."  
I managed to succeed in getting Leslie to get ready for bed. Our rounds had become almost routine the past few days. Once again, we brushed our teeth, used the bathroom, and put on night clothes. I let her sleep on the couch. I went around the house and made sure all of the doors were locked tight before taking my place on the loveseat. I tried to stay awake so I could keep an eye on Leslie, but I was so exhausted. I hadn't slept hardly at all that week, and the little sleep I had was disturbed by horrid dreams and images of the Slender Man and knives covered in blood and various other horrifying images. I couldn't help myself. I passed out. It was two in the morning.  
I woke up to the television being turned on. It wasn't turned to any particular channel. It was just a static background hissing white noise. Odd since I distinctly remembered turning everything off before falling asleep. I sat up and looked around the room. The lights were all turned on and the digital clocks were all set to twelve o'clock. I picked up my phone to see what time it really was. I dropped my phone in terror when I saw the screen. The background was black with the word "kill" written in capital letters all across the screen.  
My head jerked toward the couch, praying for Leslie to still be sleeping there. She was gone.   
"Shit! I knew I shouldn't have let her stay out here," I cursed, panicked.  
I leapt to my feet and beagn to search around the house frantically. I called out for her, but like I expected, there was no answer. I came to the front door and saw that the door was ajar.  
"Oh, no!" I moaned in despair.  
I grabbed a flashlight from a cabinet in the kitchen and dashed through the door. I looked all through the yard, not really expecting to find her there. When she was nowhere to be seen, I left the neighborhood and headed directly into the forest. I figured if I was to find her anywhere, it would be there.  
I stumbled along the ground, barely able to keep my footing on the hilly terrain. I shined my flashlight all over the place,begging to see even the tiniest glimpse of my friend. I called out for her constantly, praying that I would receive some sort of response. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let her escape so easily, if I let the Slender Man possess her mind without a fight.  
"Leslie, where are you?!" I shouted for what seemed like the thousandth time.  
Then, I felt a glimpse of hope. Something in front of me reflected off of the light from my flashlight. It was seen hardly a moment; the common eye would have missed it. I froze in place, half scared and half hopeful.  
"Leslie," I forced through my lips. "Is that you?"  
I saw another glimpse of something reflective. It looked like her blonde hair. I heard leaves rustle and twigs snap. Then, Leslie stepped out from behind a tree.  
"Leslie!" I shouted joyously. "I'm so glad I found-" I stopped mid-sentence. She was hovering threateningly, my knife clutched tight in her fist and a maniacal grin on her face. I had completely forgotten to take my knife back the other day. How could I have been so stupid to forget? She began inching closer to me.  
"Leslie, what are you doing?" I asked, voice quivering in fear. She kept getting closer. "Leslie, stop!" I screamed. She raised her knife threateningly, still coming closer. I turned and ran.  
I sprinted away as fast as I could, stumbling over fallen branches and loose rocks. I could hear her closing the distance between us. I gathered my energy in an attempt to run faster, stretching my legs as far as they would go. I glanced behind me and saw her only a few yards away. I turned back around and yelped in shock and pain as I ran into a tree. I fell backwards and landed flat on my back. I attempted to scramble to my feet but she was on me before I had the chance. She kicked me in the stomach, causing me to curl up in pain. She kicked my face and stomped on my nose, shattering the bone. She sat on my chest, pinning my hands with her left hand and holding the knife to my throat with her right. She reared back and stabbed my left shoulder, digging down to its hilt. I howled in pain, trying in a vain attempt to shove her off.  
"Why, Leslie?" I gasped though gritted teeth.   
She sat on me and continued to smile with that same maniacal grin stretched across her face. She bent down to my face, staring through to my core with eyes filled with malevolence, and whispered in a voice far from human, "Her soul is mine."  
She twisted the blade, still embedded in my flesh, causing me to scream out again. My vision grew dark, my consciousness fading. I felt Leslie roll off of me, her consciousness gone. I forced my eyes open and saw the Slender Man hovering over me. I stopped fighting then. I was too tired; I was in too much pain. He could have me. Then, darkness.


	13. Chapter 12

I woke up in a room I couldn't recognize. The walls and ceiling were an off white color. I heard monitors beeping all around me. I looked down at my left arm and saw I was hooked up to an IV. My left shoulder felt itchy and sticky. I saw I was bandaged. I was in a very uncomfortable, adjustable bed. There were cheap wooden chairs with worn out beds lining the wall in front of me and a wooden bench of similar styling under the window to my right. I decided I was in a hospital room.  
I tried to sit up, but I was too tired and the sudden change in position made me dizzy. I collapsed back on the bed. There was a knock on the door and a middle aged woman in scrubs walked in with a tray of food. I didn't realize till that moment how hungry I was.  
"Oh good, you're awake," the nurse chirped. "I've brought you some dinner. I'll let your parents know you're up, and I'll have the doctor come in and look you over so you can get out of here."  
"How long have I been in here?" I asked groggily  
"We found you yesterday morning in the middle of the woods. You've been unconscious up till now. It is presently Friday night," she answered.  
"Did you find anyone else when you found me?" I questioned.  
"We did, actually," she said. "We found another girl unconscious, much like we did you. But unlike you, she wasn't injured aside from a light concussion. Her parents checked her out a few hours ago. As I understand, they're heading back to their home."  
I closed my eyes and sighed in despair. I knew this day was coming. I knew she'd have to leave. But I still wished there had been another way. I never even got to say goodbye. I didn't blame her for what happened. She couldn't control what the Slender Man did to her. But with her gone, we were both alone. We were without protection, without support. Now what were we going to do?  
I must have started to cry. The nurse became concerned.  
"Is something wrong? Are you in pain? I can increase the morphine drip if I need to," she said.  
"What? Oh, no I'm fine. The other girl was a friend of mine. I just wish I could have seen her before she left," I sighed.  
"Oh, I see. Well your parents have been out here for a while waiting on you to wake up. I'm not technically supposed to let them in until the police come and question you about what happened, but seeing as there isn't an officer here yet, I don't see any reason why you can't see them," she encouraged.  
'I'd like that," I said, smiling lightly.  
The nurse grinned and left the room immediately. She came back a moment later with my parents trailing behind. I could see my mom had been crying recently. She and dad both had worried lines etched into their faces. Not surprising, since their only child was hospitalized after being stabbed. It was frightening to know that the worst had yet to come. I worried about how they would react to my death.  
My mom rushed to my side, hugging me and crying fresh tears into my uninjured shoulder. My dad stood there awkwardly, wanting to do the same but unwilling to show such emotion. My mom blubbered over and over about how happy she was to know I'm alive and safe and how she never wants something like this to happen again.  
A police officer marched in a few minutes later and forced them out of the room. My mom refused to leave at first, claiming she had the right to be there, but she begrudgingly left thanks to a short conversation with my dad and an unpleased look from the officer. He told the nurse she had to leave as well.  
The officer took out a pencil and pad and began to ask me some questions. He started off with small talk, asking me how I was feeling and how my home life was. Then he got down to business, asking about why I was in the woods the night I was stabbed, if I had seen who stabbed me, what part Leslie played in the ordeal, and various other questions of the sort. Not wanting to cause any trouble for Leslie, I fabricated a story.  
I admitted that Leslie and I were friends and that she was staying over at my house the night it happened. But instead of saying I was trying to chase her down, I stated that we were both wide awake that night and decided to go for a hike since the weather was lovely. I said we were hiking through the woods when someone snuck up behind us and attacked. I said the person knocked Leslie unconscious and tried to do the same, but I grabbed my knife and tried to fend the attacker off. The person knocked the knife to the ground and grabbed it before I could, rising back up and stabbing me. I claimed the attacker was wearing a mask so I couldn't see the individual's face.   
"And the person who attacked you just left you both there?" the police officer asked.  
"Apparently," I said. "I don't know what the person wanted."  
The officer narrowed his eyes and looked at me quizzically, not believing my story. After a moment I suppose he decided there was no point pressing the subject, getting up and leaving, wishing me well on the way out. I sighed in relief as the door clicked shut.  
After only a moment, my parents returned to the room with the nurse and a doctor following close behind. The nurse's cheerful demeanor had changed to a more reserved characteristic. It seemed that she had been chided for allowing my parents into the room before she should have.  
The doctor checked the monitors to make sure my vital signs were in good shape. Then he removed the bandages and checked my wound. I had a lot of stitches keeping the skin together. Seeing it was healing well and with out infection, he had the nurse apply fresh bandages and set me up to leave. I was unhooked from the machines and the IV, and I was helped to my feet and into some clean clothes. The nurse brought in a wheelchair, and I was wheeled down to the front of the hospital. My dad drove the car around to the front, and I left with my parents.


	14. Chapter 13

I spent the rest of Friday waiting by the phone. I knew it would only be a matter of time before I got a call from Leslie's parents explaining that she was gone. The call never did come that night. Once midnight rolled around, I decided to get some sleep. I crawled into bed and curled up under the covers. Though the Slender Man didn't disturb me that night, he was there. It was around three in the morning when I woke up again. My shoulder was in a lot of pain, and I wanted some Vicadin. I went to get up and noticed he was standing at the end of my bed. I stared at him and he stared back at me with his eyeless sockets. I knew he was only there to mock me. He never moved any closer. Still, I dared not take my chances to get out of bed to ease my pain.  
As I expected, the phone rang early Saturday morning. My mom's shocked voice broke the relaxed morning atmosphere. She got up from the breakfast table and went to her room to talk. She was in there for over two hours. She emerged with a grieved expression on her face.  
"That was Yvette, Leslie's mom," she stated numbly. "Apparently, Leslie never made it home Friday. Jeff stopped to get gas on the way back to Canton. He went inside to pay, and when he returned, Leslie was gone. Jeff and the police looked for her, but she was nowhere to be found. She just disappeared."  
My dad and I said nothing. We sat there in silence, my parents stunned and I depressed as ever. It was very possible that I would die that night. I knew that they would never find Leslie. I knew that the Slender Man had killed her. It wouldn't be long before he came after me.  
I got up without a word and left the house. I ran to the very forests where I had days before been caused so much pain. I followed the trail and stumbled along aimlessly, wanting only to escape society. I looked ahead and saw something metallic glinting in the sunlight. I walked toward it and found my knife stuck to a tree, a note pinned underneath it. There was a picture of the Slender Man standing over a blood-covered victim with crude trees drawn around them. I removed my knife and crumpled up the note, chunking it as far as I could throw it.   
I looked where the paper had landed and saw the Slender Man standing a few yards away. I turned back toward home and ran, my knife clutched tight in my hand. I knew how I could beat him. I knew what I must do.  
If you are reading this, it is likely that I am already dead. I took my knife and slit my wrists, letting myself bleed out. I hope the Slender Man watched me die. I hope it made him angry. I know what most of you are probably thinking. Why would I kill myself when I tried for so long to stay alive? I have an answer, though some of you will disagree with my logic. I was going to die anyway. I had already lost my friend to the Slender Man. I wanted to prove to him that he didn't have all the power. I wanted to use the last of my resolve to prove a point. And most importantly, I refused to be killed by him. I would rather die by my own hand than at the hands of a monster.


End file.
